Reservoir
"Sure." I relunctantly agree.
"Wait here Jesse. We'll only be a second."
Jesse shrugs and Rex and I exit the pick up and walk near his room door. Rex lets out a sigh.
"Hey I could see that you were uncomfortable back in The Smoke Room, and also I'm sorry for continuing to be innapropriate with you when you told me to stop."
"No, it's not like that Rex," I reply.
Rex nods his head. "So you aren't mad at me?"
"For taking advantage of me, yeah, I am. And maybe we should talk about that some more tomorrow because tonight I have a lot of thinking to do."
"But I just want to give an explaination for my behavior, and why I acted that way, and why Preston wanted me in The Smoke Room."
I furrow my eyebrows at him.
"Okay. Explain it to me." I say.
"Well..uh..do you remember the Halloween party that Tyriqua hosted our junior year?"
"Yeah, and you had left two hours in."
"Exactly, and you wanna know where I went?"
"Where did you go?"
"Preston had dragged me back to his place and well... this is embarassing...but I spent the night."
"Really? With Preston?"
"Yeah, and I think 'spent the night' alre Rex continues.
"You think?! What do you mean you think!?" I scream at him.
"Shit dude calm down I didn't mean to freak you out." Rex said defensively. "Anyways, that night kind of was my sexual awakening, and Preston and I continuted to spend time with each other throughout the rest of high school."
"So that's why he wanted you specifically..."
"Yes." There was a look of shame in his face "After I moved to Cali, I began experimenting more with my sexuality, and started sleeping with college peers I hit it off with."
"That doesn't explain why you tried to force yourself onto me back in The Smoke Room."
"I knew you'd freak out and yell at me. Besides you have nothing against sex, do you?"
"Of course I do! But not when it's with a person who isn't consenting."
"Well it wasn't consensual." Rex says matter of factly. "I wanted to please Preston and make him jealous, and I guess it worked."
"So you're telling me that Preston was using you, trying to convince you to sleep with him?"
"Yeah. That is kinda how it seemed."
"Wow Rex. How messed up is that?!"
"Look...I didn't plan on fucking you, or Preston. I had no intention to hurt either of you. You're the one I was attracted to."
"And yet, you still did it anyway. Why?"
He looked away from me again. "It's because I felt safe with you."
"With ME?! What the hell do you mean by that?"
He turned fully to face me, staring me straight in the eye. "I was so scared of everything back at Cali. I couldn't adapt to the change in enviroment too well. As a matter of fact, I felt kind of homesick. As shitty as this town is, I kind of missed it, and I missed you."
There was silence.
"You...you missed me?" I asked timidly.
"Yeah, and I realized that you probably miss me too. So I thought if we could pretend that none of this ever happened, then maybe the feelings will disappear."
"What feelings? I don't have any feelings for you Rex."
"Then why are you flinching whenever I touch you?"
"Because you were fucking groping me."
He stared at me angrily for a second. "Oh. Well, that sucks. Do you regret what you just did?"
"NO! No, never." I say quickly.
His expression softened. He leans closer towards me. A faint blush creeps across his face as he lowers his gaze to his lap. He reaches out and takes hold of both of my hands.
"Listen Utah, I have feelings for you, real ones." He pauses to gather his thoughts before continuing. "But I want to be friends. Maybe even more than friends, if you want me to."
I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "I'll let you try Rex, if that's what you really want. Friends sounds great to me."
The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk. "Thanks Utah, for accepting me."
"Thank you Rex." I say quietly.
"Well, I'll see you tommorow."
"Yeah, I guess I will."
I let go of his hands and head back towards Jesse's pickup where he was waiting. He has an amused smile plastered across his face. I roll my eyes at him. We get into the car and drive back to my house where he drops me off.
"Wait here Jesse. We'll only be a second."
Jesse shrugs and Rex and I exit the pick up and walk near his room door. Rex lets out a sigh.
"Hey I could see that you were uncomfortable back in The Smoke Room, and also I'm sorry for continuing to be innapropriate with you when you told me to stop."
"No, it's not like that Rex," I reply.
Rex nods his head. "So you aren't mad at me?"
"For taking advantage of me, yeah, I am. And maybe we should talk about that some more tomorrow because tonight I have a lot of thinking to do."
"But I just want to give an explaination for my behavior, and why I acted that way, and why Preston wanted me in The Smoke Room."
I furrow my eyebrows at him.
"Okay. Explain it to me." I say.
"Well..uh..do you remember the Halloween party that Tyriqua hosted our junior year?"
"Yeah, and you had left two hours in."
"Exactly, and you wanna know where I went?"
"Where did you go?"
"Preston had dragged me back to his place and well... this is embarassing...but I spent the night."
"Really? With Preston?"
"Yeah, and I think 'spent the night' alre Rex continues.
"You think?! What do you mean you think!?" I scream at him.
"Shit dude calm down I didn't mean to freak you out." Rex said defensively. "Anyways, that night kind of was my sexual awakening, and Preston and I continuted to spend time with each other throughout the rest of high school."
"So that's why he wanted you specifically..."
"Yes." There was a look of shame in his face "After I moved to Cali, I began experimenting more with my sexuality, and started sleeping with college peers I hit it off with."
"That doesn't explain why you tried to force yourself onto me back in The Smoke Room."
"I knew you'd freak out and yell at me. Besides you have nothing against sex, do you?"
"Of course I do! But not when it's with a person who isn't consenting."
"Well it wasn't consensual." Rex says matter of factly. "I wanted to please Preston and make him jealous, and I guess it worked."
"So you're telling me that Preston was using you, trying to convince you to sleep with him?"
"Yeah. That is kinda how it seemed."
"Wow Rex. How messed up is that?!"
"Look...I didn't plan on fucking you, or Preston. I had no intention to hurt either of you. You're the one I was attracted to."
"And yet, you still did it anyway. Why?"
He looked away from me again. "It's because I felt safe with you."
"With ME?! What the hell do you mean by that?"
He turned fully to face me, staring me straight in the eye. "I was so scared of everything back at Cali. I couldn't adapt to the change in enviroment too well. As a matter of fact, I felt kind of homesick. As shitty as this town is, I kind of missed it, and I missed you."
There was silence.
"You...you missed me?" I asked timidly.
"Yeah, and I realized that you probably miss me too. So I thought if we could pretend that none of this ever happened, then maybe the feelings will disappear."
"What feelings? I don't have any feelings for you Rex."
"Then why are you flinching whenever I touch you?"
"Because you were fucking groping me."
He stared at me angrily for a second. "Oh. Well, that sucks. Do you regret what you just did?"
"NO! No, never." I say quickly.
His expression softened. He leans closer towards me. A faint blush creeps across his face as he lowers his gaze to his lap. He reaches out and takes hold of both of my hands.
"Listen Utah, I have feelings for you, real ones." He pauses to gather his thoughts before continuing. "But I want to be friends. Maybe even more than friends, if you want me to."
I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "I'll let you try Rex, if that's what you really want. Friends sounds great to me."
The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk. "Thanks Utah, for accepting me."
"Thank you Rex." I say quietly.
"Well, I'll see you tommorow."
"Yeah, I guess I will."
I let go of his hands and head back towards Jesse's pickup where he was waiting. He has an amused smile plastered across his face. I roll my eyes at him. We get into the car and drive back to my house where he drops me off.